VIDEO: Refs Screw UNC and Miss Obvious Foul on Duke in Closing Seconds of Overtime Thriller
By Mark Powell
Stop me if you've heard this before, but Duke was the beneficiary of a critical call in the waning seconds, which they rode to a monumental road victory. Yes, this happens literally every season, even though the Blue Devils often don't ride such decisions to the Final Four. That, in itself, is a small victory for college basketball fans with a soul. On Saturday against UNC, Duke somehow wasn't called for a foul with ten seconds left in overtime despite diving directly into the North Carolina ball-handler.
10 seconds left, UNC up 1, no foul called here on the inbound. Duke gets ball and wins at buzzer #DUKEvsUNC pic.twitter.com/tJHt7ABayB
— Bad Sports Refs (@BadSportsRefs) February 9, 2020
You know it's bad when Jay Bilas, a former Blue Devil himself, is calling out the officiating. North Carolina had the basketball, only for a Duke defender to spearhead directly into the path of the ball, creating a scramble. It's clearly a foul, and there is no other opinion.
WHAT A FINISH!
— ESPN (@espn) February 9, 2020
No. 7 Duke defeats the Tar Heels in an epic OT win ? pic.twitter.com/EMcF5056US
Of course, given how UNC shot free throws in this game (cough 50 percent), there's no guarantee it would've led to a Tar Heels victory. Yet, not giving UNC that opportunity is a robbery. Even Duke fans must realize this, eventually.